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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How do you pronounce the letter H?

393 replies

inlawsimnotsure · 10/09/2019 15:39

How do you pronounce the letter H? Like ‘ach’ or ‘hhach’?

I work in HR and my name begins with H so I have confidently been saying ‘ach’ my whole life, but all of my colleagues say ‘hhach’ so I am starting to doubt myself.

We are all largely from the same region.

It’s driving me a bit crazy!

OP posts:
Meggie2008 · 10/09/2019 17:10

Aitch, as haitch is vile

MitziK · 10/09/2019 17:10

It's Aitch.

Why do people get so angry about it being wrong?

I've genuinely had somebody shout at me and call me (or anybody else I've worked with in various places, such as in schools or clinics where spellings are checked out loud 'so that's S - Aitch - E....?' ) 'faaaking pig ignorant bitch, cos it's HHHAITCH, innit?'.

I'm not judging people that do it. I'm not going to copy them or correct them, but if they then get abusive about it just by my accent, then by fuck am I judging them afterwards.

zxcvhjkl · 10/09/2019 17:13

I have never given this a moments thought before, now I'm sitting here saying various words with an "h" in them.Grin

So apparently I say both aitch and hay-tch

En-aitch-Ess (NHS)
Bee-aitch-Ess (VHS)
Eff-Gee-Haytch (FGH)
Haytch Arr (HR)

But its quite a soft hay in haytch if that makes it any better? No? Ok I'm just going to hide under a rock now.

Marnie76 · 10/09/2019 17:13

I say aitch.
It always tickles me that the people I know who pronounce it haitch are the ones who then go on to drop them. For example ‘e had long air’ 😂

SilverySurfer · 10/09/2019 17:14

Aitch.

InsertFunnyUsername · 10/09/2019 17:14

I'm vile so I say Haitch, I know its Aitch but it just kinda rolls out like that ✌🤷‍♀️

Dutch1e · 10/09/2019 17:15

English isn't a language that has rigid regular pronunciation rules so trying to make comparisons to Hastings etc is meaningless.

Absolutely. English is a mongrel language from the docks; being particular about it is ridiculous. Although seeing "could of" for "could have" still makes me want to claw my eyes out. Grin

mnbvcxz098 · 10/09/2019 17:16

Your name is pronounced however you decide.

DoctorAllcome · 10/09/2019 17:18

I do this puff of air for a “heh” sound and then aytch.

64sNewName · 10/09/2019 17:19

@zxcvhjkl, do you really say “Bee” for V? Or was that just a typo?

lottiegarbanzo · 10/09/2019 17:19

The word Aitch starts with an A, so wtf has 'Hastings' to do with anything?

As has been pointed out, if letter names started with the letter sound, you'd sat feff, lell, nen, mem, sess.

And if you pronounced opening letters as letter names... try it.

Original poster
inlawsimnotsure · 10/09/2019 17:19

thank you all! my disproportionate anger feels less irrational now! It bugs the hell of me and I want to scream AIIITCCH R. But I won’t. Interesting that it is seen a regional / class thing and not dropping H’s. Hadn’t thought of that but two of the worst offenders are very keen to come across as middle class.

OP posts:
InsertFunnyUsername · 10/09/2019 17:19

It always tickles me that the people I know who pronounce it haitch are the ones who then go on to drop them. For example ‘e had long air’ 😂

This is me Blush I blame the East London in me.

OhHelpMaBoab · 10/09/2019 17:21

HAitch

Letseatgrandma · 10/09/2019 17:22

It’s aitch.

People go massively down in my estimation if I hear them say haitch.

kateybeth79 · 10/09/2019 17:25

have never given this a moments thought before, now I'm sitting here saying various words with an "h" in them.*

So apparently I say both aitch and hay-tch

En-aitch-Ess (NHS)
Bee-aitch-Ess (VHS)
Eff-Gee-Haytch (FGH)
Haytch Arr (HR)

But its quite a soft hay in haytch if that makes it any better? No? Ok I'm just going to hide under a rock now.*

I could have written this! And after googling, apparently it can be pronounced as either.

zxcvhjkl · 10/09/2019 17:25

@64sNewName

Typo. Definitely a typo!

LinoleumBlownapart · 10/09/2019 17:25

Marnie76 Grin innit Grin

I'm loving all people who say Haitch and then trying to justify it with a word. If you say haitch, you say haitch. So be it, there's no rule.

"I say haitch because I say Happy not 'appy" yes, seems sort of logical unless the next word is "hour" and then it all goes out the window!

64sNewName · 10/09/2019 17:26

I do this puff of air for a “heh” sound and then aytch.

That = “haitch”, doesn’t it? Not being rude, but it sounds the same to me.

NoTheresa · 10/09/2019 17:26

Yep.

fedup21 · 10/09/2019 17:26

Those (wrong Grin) people that say haitch, do you say en, haitch, ess for NHS?

Okurrrrrrrr · 10/09/2019 17:27

Christ don't get me started on this. I think I also started a thread on this about 7 years ago Grin
It's aitch, no H sound.
You wouldn't say 'N Hhhaitch S'
Grinds my gears. Especially when the H sayers look at you like you've said it wrong and dropped a vowel, like dropping a T. Shudder

NoTheresa · 10/09/2019 17:27

Response to this.
People go massively down in my estimation if I hear them say haitch.

Nanny0gg · 10/09/2019 17:29

Aitch

Unless you're Irish.

I spent a lifetime explaining that there's no 'H' in Aitch, to young children.

lottiegarbanzo · 10/09/2019 17:29

'I say haitch because I say happy = I say feff because I say France' Right? Wtf?